Beyond Form, Shape, And Image: Appreciating Building As Art

The famous Swiss architect Peter Zumthor said, "What I try to do is the art of building, and the art of building is the art of construction; it is not only about forms and shapes and images." I'm a freelance photographer who makes a living from taking pictures of large construction projects such as skyscrapers, roads, and dams. After a project is finished, the photographs are usually displayed at the grand opening to provide a nostalgic record of each stage of the project. I've learned the importance of paying attention to the finer details, the art behind the construction, rather than the big picture. Over time, I've developed quite an eye for creative construction techniques and the approaches undertaken by different contractors. This blog is a little celebration of the art behind every piece of construction and the people who put it together. Do enjoy.

Two reasons to have your rental property cleaned at the end of the lease period before you renovate it

Posted on:
8 October 2018

If your tenants are moving out of your rental property and you want to renovate it before you rent it out to a new set of tenants, you should arrange for a company that provides end-of-lease cleaning services to deep clean the building before you begin the renovation process. Read on to find out why.

It will help you to accurately determine how much renovation work your property requires

Having your rental property deep cleaned before you start renovating it is important, as it will enable you to accurately determine how much renovation work the property actually requires.

For example, if the previous tenants did not clean the extremely dirty walls before they left (that is, if the walls are covered in a lot of food and drink splatters, scuff marks and grubby fingerprints), this dirt may hide the presence of rising damp in the wall plaster.

If you don't have the walls professionally cleaned before you have them repainted, this damp issue could go unnoticed and unresolved for months.

If you only discover this problem after your new tenants have already moved in, you may then have to pay for them to move into temporary accommodation whilst you have your rental property damp-proofed and have any damp-related damage (like mouldy wallpaper or peeling paint) repaired.

This could be very costly and could affect your new tenants' willingness to stay in your property long-term.

Conversely, if you have the walls scrubbed down before you start renovating them, you will be able to spot the dampness and have it dealt with during the renovation process before your new tenants move in.

It could help to speed up the renovation process

The sooner the renovation process is completed, the sooner you will be able to rent out your property to a new set of tenants and begin generating a profit again.

As such, it makes sense to try to ensure that the renovation work is completed as quickly as possible. Having a team of professional cleaners perform an end of lease cleaning so that the property is in pristine condition when the renovation workers arrive, could help you to achieve this aim.

The reason for this is as follows; if the property is filthy, it may take longer for your renovation crew to carry out their work.

For example, if the previous tenants left behind lots of discarded rubbish, the renovation crew may have to spend time moving this rubbish out of the way, so that they can access certain areas of the building and proceed with their assigned tasks.

Having to perform work when the floors are covered in rubbish could also increase the risk of one of the members of the renovation team tripping over, hurting themselves and having to go home or to a doctor. Their absence would almost certainly impede the progress of the renovation work.